Farmington Valley Golden Retrievers

Today we had an early appointment at the Suffield Veterinary Hospital. The Southern Berkshire Golden Retriever Club was having its Spring: Eye, Heart, and Microchip Clinic. Our two breeding females Emma and Riley needed to have their eye exams updated, while Lucy was getting her eye and heart exams done for the first time.

Thankfully everyone passed their tests. The clinic was controlled chaos as usual with multiple breeders bringing multiple goldens to be examined. I was only able to get a few photos of our Lucy getting her eyes and heart checked. We saw some beautiful animals, but taking photos of other breeder’s animals is not proper etiquette when you don’t know them.

Anyway, we all came back happy as everyone passed. Now we are just awaiting the arrival of Spring and the next heats.

PS: Don’t worry about Lucy with her goofy eyes in this last photo. It’s all because of the eye drops they use to dilate the pupils for an accurate exam.

We just received the winter issue of Golden Retriever News.

Just inside the front cover were a few more photos of Mulder and Berna with their amazing double win at the Nationals this past fall. I thought I would share these new photos with our readers.

Also listed and photographed were all the winners in the many other competition categories. Magnificent animals all. I would again encourage true enthusiasts of our breed to get a membership to the Golden Retriever Club of America which automatically qualifies you for a subscription to this National magazine.

There was one more photo included which spoke eloquently of Mulder’s wholesome and humble spirit. Despite the severe demands of travel and the show ring, he remains just one happy fun loving dog.

We are very proud of our own Emma’s last litter when she was bred to Mulder. Dynamite personalities and Hollywood looks one and all. My cousin Ron and our neighbor Ken last week sent us updated photos of two of Mulder’s daughters from this last litter. The third female in this litter was our own Lucy. They are approaching 15 months old now.

So here we present:

Ron and Barb’s “Maggie”..

And Ken and Mary Ann’s “Rosie”..

As we expect to use Mulder for both Riley’s and Emma’s upcoming heats this Spring, we have high hopes for more puppies blessed in looks and spirit.

While searching for something in “My Documents” file, I came across a folder that I hadn’t peeked into for years. This folder contained an internet poem, author unknown, that someone had sent me back in 2000. Back then I had changed it, added some verses, and sent it out to our clients who were on our email puppy list.

I thought to revise it again and add some recent appropriate photos. It really speaks to the mindset you develop as a breeder and member of a multiple dog household. I am not sure if we don’t become more than a little eccentric living the way we do. Our children, I’m sure, would certainly agree.

For Love of Goldens…

Why be cautious about owning a Golden Retriever? There’s a danger you know. You can’t own just one, for the craving will grow.

There’s no doubt they’re addictive, and therein lies the danger. While living with many you’ll grow poorer and stranger.

One dog is no trouble, and two are so funny. The third one is easy, the fourth one’s a honey.

The fifth is delightful and the sixth one’s a breeze. You’ll find you can live with a houseful with ease.

As dogs they are beautiful, smart, and oh so nice. And whatever you paid, they’re a bargain for the price.

So how about another? Would you really dare? They’re really quite easy, but Oh Lord, all the hair.

With dogs on the sofa and dogs on the bed, and crates in the kitchen, “No Bother” You’ve said.

“They’re really no trouble, their manners are great. What’s just one more dog and just one more crate”.

The sofa is hairy, the windows are crusty, the floor is all footprints, the furniture’s dusty.

The housekeeping suffers, but what do you care? Who minds a few nose prints, and a little more hair?

Although their colors can vary all over the chart, Goldens are blessed with the same big loyal heart.

Their needs are so simple; love, companionship, a tennis ball, a stick. But the returns to us are immeasurable: friendship, loyalty, and from their tongues, warm licks.

With such big brown eyes and a warm wet nose, you’ll scarcely notice all the hair covering your clothes.

Who can resist such energy, playfulness, and need for cuddling. And it’s hard to be stern though their wet coat may be dripping and puddling.

So no matter a tail just shattered your favorite vase on the table. One look with those innocent eyes will your anger disable.

So let’s keep another puppy, you can always find room. And just add a little more time for the dust cloth and broom.

There’s hardly a limit to the Goldens you can add. And the thought of stopping makes you terribly sad.

Each one is special, so cuddly, so funny. But there are big vet bills and food bills, and now you owe money.

Your folks never visit, few friends come to stay. Except other dog folks who live the same way.

Your lawn is full of holes and your shrubs are dead too, but your weekends are so busy: you are off with your crew.

There’s dog food and vitamins and training and shots, and show entries and motels, all which cost lots.

Is it worth it you wonder? Are you caught in a trap? Then your favorite golden comes and jumps up on your lap.

Her look says you’re special, and you know that you will, keep all of the Goldens, in spite of the bill.

For life is but a short journey to be savored with pride. And everything is more vivid, more special, with a Golden Retriever by your side.

So enjoy your old pup until word of our next litter leaks. Then you will be on the phone calling, saying another golden you seek.

And with my own crew gathered all around me as I take your anxious call, I will smile and be surprised.. Not at all.

The End.

As I try to type the finishing touches of this blog, the girls are on the right and left of me. Normally I have one hand to type and mouse, while the other scratches someone’s head.

Tonight everyone wants a piece of me. Time to get out some buffalo bones so everyone will be content…

While yet another winter storm rages outside, here inside everything is calm and warm, although a little noisy. I picked up our monthly shipment of kibble and canned dog food on the way home from my Glastonbury office earlier today. Donna Talbot, our breeder friend and food supplier in Hebron, was homebound with the storm. My trusted Suburban did ok, although with the number of pickup trucks blowing by me on the highway, I wasn’t sure if one would lose control and careen into me. Sheesh.

With the food, I picked up one of the dog’s favorite treats: raw buffalo bones. I have shown photos of them enjoying this treat before. It ensures a contented evening of gnawing and noise as the bones bounce off the tile floors. Recently there have been a few other items that have provided almost as much entertainment for the dogs. So without much going on this week, here are a few photos..

Our daughter Kristen’s pug Pearl has developed a taste for white antelope bones. These are excellent ways of controlling teeth tartar and don’t make a mess. They just get smaller and smaller over time until you have to toss them. I think this one bone will keep Pearl occupied for many a day.

Lucy managed to bring in a large chunk of ice unseen, among the rest of the pack when they stampeded their way inside after playing.

Solo has become the designated cat dish cleaner. She takes this position seriously and waits to lick the bowl clean after every meal. She has put a few teeth marks in the dish as well, and she would like nothing better than for me to leave her alone with it for ten minutes while she chews it into shreds.

Last night the background noise of the dogs chewing contentedly suddenly changed, and I glanced over and saw that Riley had decided to get a different kind of fiber in her diet. She had started chewing the straw basket that holds all the older bones.

If you kept a visual eye on all of them continuously, you would never get any work done. So you instead keep an ear cocked for any change in sound in the background. This usually allows you to find the one who is getting into mischief before it progresses too far.

A golden retriever’s teeth are an important part of their beautiful smile, so it makes good sense to insure your dogs have the right kind of chews.

And it never ceases to amaze me, that given the choice, these dogs will be happiest when together, and sharing their adventures with each other or us.

Today broke cold, crisp, and clear. The initial snow storm from yesterday was overwhelmed by the deluge of rain that followed. So the land today was like a big cake covered with a thick layer of glazed sugar.

Trackless, slippery, and hard, the going was a little tough on the hills. It seems that here in New England, every storm is unique with a different combination of cold, wind, snow, rain, and ice. So each adventure out with the dogs is a different experience also. Getting to the high school fields this morning posed some difficulty. There was black ice on the roads everywhere, and due to a surge in numbers of baby squirrels running around, I had to let the leashes go several times. Otherwise I would have been pulled down the road to suffer an ungraceful fall.

Once we got to the fields, the surface was so slippery the dogs had to work twice as hard to get anywhere, since even their clawed paws didn’t do much to the hard surface.

They burned off their energy and then we started back. Despite the ice, we heard the cry of a few birds and saw a couple flights of ducks making their way back North. So Spring is trying to reinsert itself a little here in the middle of February. And what better way to agree, is to report that our year plus Lucy has started her first heat. An official young lady now, she still has to wait another year before we can finish her breeding qualifications. In the bottom right photo, she is on the right with her mom, Emma on the left.

This promise of further adventures with puppies, and another generation getting started, warmed my spirit all the way home.